The movement to establish a Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada began towards the end of World War One. Ukrainian pioneers who settled in Canada at the end of the 19th century needed a church which would fulfill their spiritual needs, provide progressive leadership and permit them to retain their traditional Ukrainian culture within the Canadian framework. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada was established on December 28, 1918.

And towards the end of World War One, the first group of Ukrainian immigrants arrived in Toronto and started a movement to establish a Ukrainian Orthodox congregation.

At a meeting, held at the Ukrainian Peoples’ Home in October 31, 1926, the decision was made to lay the foundation for the parish. In 1935, the congregation bought the site at 400 Bathurst St. on which to erect a church. But for their immediate needs, the Congregation acquired a large building at 404 Bathurst.

In May 1948, the new church was officially opened and named St. Vladimir’s Church. Within three years, it was chosen as the see for a ruling Archbishop of Toronto and Eastern Canada, and was elevated to the rank of a Cathedral. In 1988, as part of the celebration of the Millennium of Christianity in Ukraine, the cathedral was renamed St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral.

The Iconostasis of the Cathedral was installed in 1952. It was designed by the architect G. Kodak and its icons painted by three artists - W. Balas, M. Dmytrenko, and I. Kubarsky. These artists were assisted by Petro Sydorenko who is also a painter-portraitist and who painted the official portrait of Metropolitan Vasiliy.

In 1953, the same artists completed the painting of the interior. The iconostasis and the church interior are painted in the ‘Cossack Baroque’ style, which is traditional and typical of the interiors in many Ukrainian churches.